Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1945

Materials

WOOD, GLASS, PUTTY

No. Pieces

2

Height

12.2

Length

22.4

Width

10.5

Description

WHITE, GREEN, BLUE, YELLOW, RED. SHIP IN BOTTLE. 3 MASTED CLIPPER SHIP MODELLED INSIDE LARGE GLASS LIGHT BULB. DEPICTED ON GREEN SEA WITH BLUE SKY IN BACKGROUND & LIGHTHOUSE, WINDMILL, HOUSES AND CHURCH ON SHORE. BULB RESTS ON VARNISHED WOOD STAND WITH PEDESTAL FEET.

Subjects

TOY

ART

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

GIVEN TO DONOR'S FATHER, GEORGE WATSON SR. BY GERMAN PRISONER OF WAR FROM LETHBRIDGE CAMP (133). WATSON SR. ACTIVE IN CIVIC AFFAIRS INCLUDING SCHOOLS, CADETS, & MUSEUM & HISTORICAL SOCIETY. BORN IN 1896 & DIED IN 1980. WATSON SR'S FATHER CAME TO LETHBRIDGE AS A BLACKSMITH FOR A.R.C. CO. & LETHBRIDGE IRON WORKS. WAVES/BACKGROUND LIKELY MADE FROM WINDOW PUTTY. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS, WHICH INCLUDED OBJECTS RELATED TO THE WATSON FAMILY. FROM WATSON SR.'S OBITUARY IN JUNE 30, 1980 LETHBRIDGE HERALD: "WATSON, GEORGE OF 1409 9 AVE SOUTH PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE ON JUNE 27 AT THE AGE OF 84 YEARS... [HE] WAS EDUCATED IN LETHBRIDGE AND TOOK HIS NORMAL SCHOOL TRAINING IN CALGARY. DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR HE ENLISTED IN THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS, SERVING AS A FLYING CADET. HE RETURNED TO THIS AREA AND TAUGHT SCHOOL IN SLEEPY HOLLOW, MILK RIVER, COALHURST, COALDALE, AT THE LETHBRIDGE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE FROM 1930 TO 1950, AND FROM 1950-1961 AS VICE PRINCIPAL OF HAMILTON SCHOOL, THE FIRST JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN LETHBRIDGE. HE WAS AN HONORARY LIFE MEMBER OF THE ALBERTA TEACHER'S ASSOCIATION. ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS, HE SERVED ON THE FOLLOWING: THE FIRST TOWN PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY, THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD, THE HEALTH UNIT, AND ONE TERM AS AN ALDERMAN ON CITY COUNCIL. DURING ITS FORMATIVE YEARS HE SERVED AS COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE NO. 1 SQUADRON OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR CADETS. HE WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND THE LETHBRIDGE RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION." ACCORDING TO HER SPOKANE CHRONICLE OBITUARY, THE DONOR, C. HELEN RANKIN, PASSED AWAY IN SPOKANE ON MAY 13, 1992. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE WATSON FAMILY, INCLUDING WATSON SR.'S MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS, SEE PERMANENT FILE P19830011000-GA. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON DEVELOPED THE FOLLOWING BRIEF HISTORY OF PRISONER OF WAR CAMP 133 WITH INFORMATION FROM THE GALT MUSEUM BROCHURE "LETHBRDGE'S INTERNMENT CAMPS" AND THE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA WEBSITE. DURING WORLD WAR II THERE WERE 40 PRISONER OF WAR (P.O.W.) CAMPS CONSTRUCTED ACROSS CANADA TO HOUSE THE LARGE NUMBER OF INCOMING POWS - ENEMY MILITARY PERSONNEL THAT WERE CAPTURED IN COMBAT. CAMPS WERE BUILT IN ONTARIO, QUEBEC, THE MARITIMES AND ALBERTA. THE CAMPS IN LETHBRIDGE AND MEDICINE HAT WERE THE LARGEST, TOGETHER HOUSING 22,000 MEN. THE LETHBRIDGE CAMP, NO. 133, WAS BUILT IN THE SUMMER OF 1942, AND BY NOVEMBER OF THAT YEAR HOUSED 13,341 PRISONERS. THE CAMP WAS DIVIDED INTO SIX SECTIONS, EACH WITH SIX DORMITORIES, MESS HALLS, KITCHENS, AND ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES. MEALS WERE IN SHIFTS WITH PRISONERS SERVING AS COOKS. TAILOR, BARBER AND SHOE REPAIR SHOPS WERE ALSO STAFFED BY PRISONERS, AND NON-COMBAT POWS PRACTICED THEIR PRE-WAR PROFESSIONS AS MEDICAL DOCTORS AND DENTISTS. HOUSING AND RATIONS WERE THE SAME STANDARD AS FOR THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, WHICH SOMETIMES CAUSED RESENTMENT AMONG LETHBRIDGE CIVILIAN RESIDENTS, WHO WERE UNABLE TO OBTAIN MANY OF THE SAME SUPPLIES ON THEIR STRICT WARTIME RATION ALLOWANCES. WITH MANY YOUNG LOCAL MEN AWAY AT WAR, LOCAL FARMERS BEGAN TO REQUEST LABOUR ASSISTANCE FROM THE CAMP, ESPECIALLY FOR THE SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY. BY 1943 AN AGREEMENT WAS REACHED AND SOME OF THE PRISONERS WORKED ON FARMS THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN ALBERTA. MOST OF THESE PRISONERS WENT FROM THE CAMP TO THE FARMS DAILY, BUT SOME WERE KEPT AT 'LODGES' AT THE MORE DISTANT FARMS FOR DAYS AT A TIME, WITH MINIMAL GUARDING. FOR THEIR LABOUR, THE PRISONERS WERE PAID 50 CENTS PER DAY. WITH WAR'S END, CAMP 133 CLOSED IN DECEMBER 1946 AND ITS PRISONERS WERE SENT BACK TO GERMANY. THE AREA WHERE THE CAMP STOOD EVENTUALLY BECAME AN INDUSTRIAL PARK AND PART OF THE FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTRE.

Catalogue Number

P19830007000

Acquisition Date

1983-02

Collection

Museum

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